This morning, the girls were eager to put their necklaces on, though both kids decided to unclasp them after only a few minutes of wear. Madeleine opted to instead play with Rarity, concocting a whole elaborate game in which Rarity is actually hiding under a secret identity.
MADELEINE: Mama! Rarity is named JESUS!
Jesus was in for *quite* an adventure, facing an even greater adversary than Caiaphas. After enacting the whole long ordeal in the living room, Madeleine went running to the kitchen to tell Ethan all about Rarity/Jesus's fate.
MADELEINE: Daddy! Rarity is DEAD!
ETHAN: Rarity is dead?? What happened?
MADELEINE: Um...a...a BAGEL came and HIT her in the FACE!
WOW. Little did Ethan know, when he went out for fresh bagels early this morning, that he would be setting the stage for poor Rarity's downfall.
Later in the morning, Madeleine's pretend-play shifted gears, and I suddenly found myself in the midst of a game of Neva and Anja. Madeleine announced to me, as I was going up to my bedroom to print programs for my upcoming student piano recital, that I was Anja and she was my mom. Because my mom didn't trust me to play with electronic devices upstairs in the bedroom by myself, she came up to monitor my activities and keep me in check.
MADELEINE: (handing me her play phone) Here you go!
ME: (busy with the printer) Uh...thanks...
MADELEINE: Say: "Mama, I really want to call somebody!"
ME: I really want to call somebody!
MADELEINE: "Mama, I really want to call somebody!"
ME: (distracted and confused) Uh...okay. Who do you want to call?
MADELEINE: No! MAMA!
ME: Oh, wrong thing? Okay, "Mama, I really want to call somebody!"
MADELEINE: Okay...but...your big brother is NOT gonna believe it!
ME: He's not??
MADELEINE: No! Because...you're only THREE! And I'm...FOURTEEN!
WOW. I had no idea that Neva had Anja when she was only eleven. Not to mention that Anja's older brother Nate is six, which would make Neva a frightening EIGHT YEARS OLD when she first gave birth.
At any rate, the game of Neva and Anja was put on hold as we Rowes got busy running errands this afternoon, followed by a family trip to a wading pool in Boston. As we drove towards the pool, listening to a mix of music Ethan had put together, Julia excitedly announced the titles of the various songs she recognized. Not to be outdone, Madeleine made sure to chime in as well once the song "Both Sides Now" began playing.
JONI MITCHELL: Bows and flows of angel hair, and ice cream castles everywhere...
MADELEINE: Mama! Daddy! I know what THIS song is called!
ETHAN AND I: (surprised and impressed) You do?!?
MADELEINE: (brightly) Yeah! (pause) Ice Cream CASTLES!
Man. Is there anything this kid DOESN'T know?!?
At any rate, the kids had an absolute BLAST at the pool, with both girls fearlessly dunking under the various waterfalls and fountains to get as drenched as possible. The fact that we got to play on the adjacent playground after swimming made the afternoon even more enjoyable, especially since Julia got to play on her favorite apparatus: the mukey boars.
So, all in all, an exciting Saturday full of disturbing (and somewhat age-innappropriate) pretend play and outdoor fun in the sun. As Madeleine put it so beautifully this afternoon, "Well, Mama. It SURE IS a nice DAY!"
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